Decatur, GA — The Decatur City Commission will meet on Monday, Nov. 6, for its regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. There will also be a dinner session at 5 p.m., an executive session at 5:30 p.m., and a work session at 7 p.m. The meetings will be held in person at Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonough Street, and virtually via Zoom.

The work session will focus on an update on the city’s bicentennial celebration. While executive sessions are not open to the public, the community can join to see the city commission enter into the executive session and adjourn. The city commission will discuss legal and real estate matters.

During the regular meeting, the city commission will consider approving $377,395 funding for the Decatur Land Trust. If approved, the funding would be allocated over a three-year period.

To access the meeting, follow these instructions:

To view the agenda, click here.

This meeting will be held in-person. Members of the public wishing to participate during either the “Public Comment” or “Requests and Petitions” portions of the meeting may attend the meeting in one of two ways: 

1. Attend in-person by coming to Decatur City Hall, 509 N. McDonough St.

2. Register in advance at https://zoom.us/j/91281340356. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. You may also participate by phone by calling (929) 205-6099 and entering the meeting ID (The 11-digit number shown in the Zoom registration link.)

NOTE – This meeting will utilize virtual meeting technology. We cannot guarantee it will operate as planned. If your participation must be a matter of public record, attend the meeting in person or email your comments to City Manager Andrea Arnold at [email protected] by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, November 6, 2023.

Members of the public may also view the live broadcast of the Decatur City Commission meeting at https://www.decaturga.com/citycommission/page/streaming-video

Decatur Land Trust Board of Directors Chair Linda Curry said in a memo that the DLT is at a critical crossroads and is in need of an executive director who would be involved in all aspects of the DLT’s business.

“To succeed, the organization needs full-time DLT staff support, including a full-time Executive Director to provide the resources needed to accomplish the work ahead, including the projects that are already underway, the Oak Cottage Court and Park 108 developments and the Decatur Home ReHAB program,” Curry said. “In addition, the organization needs funds to contract with a grant advisor for fundraising and grant prospecting, with a goal to raise additional funds to continue and grow the DLT’s business.”

In other business:

– The city commission will consider approving a few agreements related to the South Housing Village at Legacy Park. The city commission will consider two amendments to the intergovernmental agreement between the city and the Decatur Housing Authority, an intergovernmental infrastructure funding and development agreement, and a ground lease with the DHA.

Approval of these items is needed so the DHA can close on the financing for phase one of the project, City Manager Andrea Arnold said. The city entered into an intergovernmental agreement with the DHA on Nov. 15, 2021, and DHA is serving as the developer of the South Housing Village project that will include 132 affordable units.

“Under the terms of the intergovernmental agreement, the city must enter into a ground lease with the DHA and/or one of its affiliates for the project area as well as enter into an infrastructure agreement, that among other terms, identifies the responsible parties for construction and financing of certain infrastructure improvements, as well as specifies which improvements will be conveyed to the city upon completion of the project,” Arnold wrote in a memo.

– The city commission will consider approving contracts for the design and construction of improvements to Ebster Field.

The commission will consider approving a design and pre-construction budget of $140,000 for Ebster Field Improvements, an agreement for design-build services in the amount of $50,580 to Precision Turf LLC, and an agreement for program management services in the amount of $73,540 to AJB Construction Group.

“This will provide for design and other pre-construction services for the project, which includes conversion of Ebster Field from a natural to synthetic turf surface and installation of new LED athletic field lighting,” Capital Projects Manager Hugh Saxon wrote in a memo. “A project budget of $1.75 million has been approved in the FY 2023-24 City budget. The design-build method employs a combined contractor-designer team for a project delivery approach that should help shorten the construction schedule and provide better control over budget.”

If the design and pre-construction activities are successfully completed, the city commission will be asked to approve the final construction budget and an amendment to the design-build agreement for construction at a later time.

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